Tour of California Technology

Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS

7 / 8

$349/$399 w/heart rate monitor

No matter how slick its technology, a watch is not going to make a difference in the Tour of California's final outcome. But Garmin's latest offering, the high-sensitivity-GPS Forerunner 610, is an easy-to-use device that has helped Garmin-Cervelo riders train.

The ANT+ enabled device uses a customizable touch screen that makes it easy for riders to view key data, including speed, distance, time, heart rate, and, of course, location.

The watch lets you input heart-rate training zones and set alarms to let you know when you're going into the red. It also measures overall training intensity, incorporating heart-rate-based metrics developed by Garmin partner FirstBeat.

And when training is done, the Forerunner 610 feeds information with the Garmin Connect online interface, making it easy to do in-depth postride analysis and share rides.